Politics

Health Secretary Steve Barclay held a “constructive” meeting with Royal College of Nursing (RCN) chief Pat Cullen – but made clear that a new pay offer for nurses will not be forthcoming. Ms Cullen previously recommended the members of her union accept the deal agreed with the government, but it was rejected by members. However,

A Tory minister and three other MPs claimed hundreds of pounds of driving fines on expenses – despite it being against the rules.  They are now being contacted and asked to repay the money. Amanda Solloway, a minister in the energy department who used to serve under Suella Braverman at the Home Office, was one

A Scottish minister has accused the UK government of “sabotage” after it ruled Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) could only go ahead if glass bottles were removed from the environmental initiative.  Lorna Slater, who is co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said ministers at Holyrood would have to “look very seriously at where this leaves the

The “doorstep”. It’s an often necessary but rarely tidy journalistic exercise – locating and asking pertinent questions of an unwilling participant who has gone to some effort to avoid them. Boris Johnson had been on a lengthy US trip, through Texas to Las Vegas in the west and Washington DC in the east. Boris Johnson

A union representing civil servants has suspended its ballot to strike to enter new talks with the government. The FDA – which represents members of the Civil Service up to the permanent secretary level – made the announcement today. The move could put pressure on other unions representing civil servants to return to the negotiating

Back in 2016, in the run-up to the EU referendum and as Leave campaigners promised to “take back control” of our borders, chief Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage promised the British people that leaving the European Union would allow the UK to cut net migration to below 50,000. He wasn’t the only one to promise to

The chancellor has said he “is willing to do what it takes” and increase support for households if energy bills rise again this autumn. Sky’s economics and data editor Ed Conway asked the chancellor if he could guarantee he would step in if energy bills start rising again. “All I can say is that I

The government is trying to distance itself from tomorrow’s net migration figures. There won’t be a minister on Thursday’s morning media round, the home secretary and immigration minister will be firmly out of sight. The reason – net migration for 2022 is expected to be more than 700,000, the highest level on record, and could

Suella Braverman is to remain in her post as home secretary after the prime minister said “further investigation is not necessary” into her handling of a speeding offence. In his letter to the home secretary, the prime minister said he had consulted with his independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, who advised that “on this

In Las Vegas, they have paid more than $4,000 (£3,220) a head. It’s safe to assume attendees at the Scale Global Summit didn’t part with their cash to listen to tales of COVID lockdown.   There are a couple of UK police forces for that. In the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, this is a gathering

Boris Johnson has been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office over new claims he broke COVID lockdown rules. The former prime minister’s ministerial diary has revealed visits by friends to Chequers during the pandemic. The visits to the grace-and-favour residence were highlighted during preparations for a public inquiry into COVID, according to The

Former justice secretary and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will stand down at the next election, Sky News understands. It comes a month after he quit Rishi Sunak’s cabinet over claims he bullied civil servants. Mr Raab has been the Conservative MP for Esher and Walton in Surrey since 2010. He has “become increasingly concerned”

Suella Braverman has insisted “nothing untoward happened” as she faces questions over whether she asked civil servants to help her dodge a group speeding awareness course. The comments are the first made by the home secretary since The Sunday Times reported that she asked civil servants to arrange a private one-to-one speed awareness course for

What is it about politicians and driving fines? In 2012 Lib Dem minister Chris Huhne resigned from the coalition government after his then-wife took speeding points for him. They both ended up in prison for perverting the course of justice. In 2019, Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was jailed and ejected from parliament for the same

A Tory mayor has said there should be “no compromise” when it comes to standards in public life following accusations the home secretary may have breached the ministerial code over a speeding fine. Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said there “have to be standards in public life” as Rishi Sunak comes under

It has not been a great week for Suella Braverman. It began on Monday with her making an inflammatory speech to activists, which Tory MPs saw as a shameless leadership bid, and then being told by colleagues to stick to the day job. And it ended with embarrassing reports on Saturday evening that she asked

Rishi Sunak has said attacks on his wealth do not bother him despite the Labour Party’s attempts to make him appear out of touch. The prime minister was asked about Labour’s attack ads against him while visiting Japan for the G7 summit. He said that while he notices the attacks at Prime Minister’s Questions from

More than 23,000 died in A&E in England last year, figures obtained by Labour show. The opposition party has released data it obtained through freedom of information requests, which shows an increase in deaths compared to previous years. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine previously said 23,000 “excess patient deaths” may have occurred partly due

Rishi Sunak has given a “straightforward” message for Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit: “We’re not going away.” Speaking to Sky News in Hiroshima, the prime minister had ready answers for his policy and position on Ukraine. Hours earlier, he had announced a ban on imports of Russian diamonds – and told me that he

Rishi Sunak will announce a ban on Russian diamonds coming to Britain as the prime minister and other G7 leaders step up sanctions against Putin. The diamond ban is part of a wider package of sanctions as the prime minister and allies use the annual G7 summit in Tokyo to redouble support for Ukraine. Sanctions

A £10bn investment from water companies to stop sewage spills will be paid for by customers through “modest increases to their bills”. Ruth Kelly, chair of Water UK, told Sky News that water firms will provide a “huge multi-billion down-payment” to start “the biggest transformation project since Victorian times”. She added: “The way the system

Rishi Sunak has laid out his goals ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. The PM is set to touchdown in the early hours of the morning on Thursday UK time. It comes hot on the heels of his visit to Iceland for the Council of Europe summit. Politics latest:PM responds to Nigel Farage’s

Rishi Sunak has rejected Liz Truss’s calls for Taiwan to be fast-tracked into a trans-Pacific trading bloc. The UK is in the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Japan. Both China and Taiwan have applied to join the bloc

Former prime minister Liz Truss will call for her successor Rishi Sunak to say China is a “threat” to UK security. Ms Truss will be speaking in Taiwan’s capital Taipei, where she is expected to say that Mr Sunak should deliver on language he used during last summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest. He had described

An allegation of serious sexual assault made against MP Julian Knight is being looked into by Essex Police, after the case was referred to them by another force. The Metropolitan Police confirmed in December that it was carrying out an investigation into the then-Conservative MP, who had the party whip withdrawn after the inquiry was

Rishi Sunak is calling for changes to the international law which experts think his Illegal Migration Bill will break. The prime minister is in Iceland for a Council of Europe summit on Tuesday, where he will meet with heads of European Union countries and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Mr Sunak said the

Sir Keir Starmer has said it “does not pass the common sense test” that EU nationals who have lived in the UK long-term can’t vote in general elections. The Labour leader also said it is “not such an outlandish idea” to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to cast a ballot, as he confirmed his party is

The Tories have a “great opportunity” with a mood of “steely determination”, cabinet minister Grant Shapps has told Sky News, despite a local election drubbing and party infighting. Speaking on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the energy secretary also said he “completely and fundamentally” disagreed that the Conservatives cannot come back and win. Former

Sir Keir Starmer is promising his planned reforms of the Labour Party will be like New Labour’s famous Clause IV “on steroids”. In a speech on Saturday, the Labour leader drew comparisons with Sir Tony Blair’s controversial 1995 decision to abandon the party’s founding commitment to nationalisation in favour of his New Labour agenda. Sir

Priti Patel will accuse Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of presiding over the “managed decline” of the Conservative Party in a speech today. The former home secretary is one of the keynote speakers at the launch of a new grassroots movement – the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO). Set up by backers of Boris Johnson, the new

A well-connected Tory police and crime commissioner triggered two different police investigations into political opponents in recent weeks, Sky News can reveal.  Steve Turner, PCC for Cleveland, was attempting to become a Tory councillor in Redcar in the Tees Valley, in addition to his existing £73,300 role overseeing the area’s police service. During the campaign,

Rishi Sunak has criticised the decision by Eurovision bosses to block Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from addressing the event. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces the contest, said it declined Mr Zelenskyy‘s request to address the audience on Saturday in order to avoid politicising it. Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said the prime minister was “disappointed”

Sir Keir Starmer has praised Sue Gray as “a woman of incredible integrity” after it emerged she was in contact with the Labour chair of the partygate inquiry while still a civil servant. On Thursday, Sky News’s political correspondent Joe Pike revealed that the Labour leader’s incoming chief of staff was in personal contact with